wtamuceramics

Your Health and Safety

Dear Students,

Your health and safety is of primary concern. Therefore, you should be aware of some of the health and safety hazards that you may face when working in the world of ceramics. Here are some health and safety links.

Nelson's health and safety content

Rossol's health and safety content

Special Note: If you have any questions related to health and safety during any stage of the ceramic process, please feel free to discuss them with your instructor.

The Final Stages--RAKU

Dear Students,

Are you interesting in using the raku process with some of your pieces? If so, this link's for you!

Cosentino's raku technique

The Final Stages--GLAZING

Dear Students,

Glazes add beautiful finishes to ceramic forms. Enjoy exploring these glaze links.

Barron's glazing techniques

Nelson's glazing techniques

Warshaw's glazing techniques

Finishing Touches--TURNING, TRIMMING, TOOLING

Dear Students,

Here are some links that may help you with the trimming process.

Consentino's turning and trimming techniques

Nelson's trimming and tooling techniques

Warshaw's trimming techniques (with a foot)

Warshaw's trimming techniques (without a foot)

Special Techniques--LIPS, LIDS, HANDLES, and SPOUTS

Dear Students,

Are you ready for some special techniques? Try adding a lip and a lid to your bowl. Try adding handles to your form. How about adding a spout and a handle?

Here are some Web sites and E-reserve links that will show you how.

Birk's lip, lid, handle, and spout techniques

Clennell's handle technique

Nelson's handle technique

Nelson's spout technique

Nelson's lid technique

Warshaw's handle technique--type 1

Warshaw's handle technique--type 2

VanGilder's handle technique

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--TEAPOTS

Dear Students,

Ready for a challenge? Create a teapot. You will find links that steps you through the process of creating a teapot below.

Birk's teapot technique

Warshaw's teapot technique

Special Note: If you need more information related to spouts, lips, lids, and handles, you will find a posting related to these technique within this edublog.

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--PLATES

Dear Students,

Here are two links related to plates. The first link provides tips and tricks for throwing plates. The second link provides a step-by-step toturial for throwing plates . . . using the potter's wheel, of course.

Lakeside Pottery's tips and tricks for plates

Warshaw's plate technique

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--JUICERS

Dear Students,

Try having some creative fun while throwing a ceramic juicer. Here is a video clip, as well as step-by-step instructions, that will show you how to create a juicer.

Angelfire's juicer technique

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--PLANTERS

Dear Students,

One useful form that combines a bowl and a platter is a planter. Here is a great video clip of how to create a planter.

Sondahl's planter technique

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--CYLINDERS

Dear Students,

Many ceramic instructors believe that the mastery of the cylinder form is essential to the successful completion of other ceramic forms. Here are some links to Web sites and E-reserves related to the cylinder form.

Birk's cylinder technique

Consention's cylinder technique

Creating Ceramic Forms on the Potter's Wheel--BOWLS

Dear Students,

You have wedged your clay and it is centered on the potter's wheel. Now it's time to create a ceramic form.

Here are some Web sites and E-reserves that will help you create bowls on the potter's wheel.

Barron's bowl technique

Birk's bowl technique

Consentino's bowl technique

Jacobson's bowl technique

Warshaw's bowl technique

Getting Started on the Potter's Wheel--CENTERING

Dear Students,

As you are now aware, centering the clay on the potter's wheel is essential prior to creating a form. Here are some links to Web sites and library E-reserves related to the process of centering.

Birk's centering technique

Cosentino's centering technique

Nelson's centering technique

If you experience problems with any of the links, please contact Dr. Jan Ray at jray@mail.wtamu.edu or via phone at 806-651-2609. (Please note that the office phone number is new. It is not the same number you were provided with earlier in this course.)

Preparing the Clay for the Potter's Wheel--WEDGING

Dear Students,

As you know, the clay you throw on the potter's wheel must be carefully prepared using a process called wedging.

Here are some links to Web sites and library E-reserves related to wedging.

Barron's wedging technique

Birk's wedging technique

Nelson's wedging technique

Cosentino's wedging technique

If you experience problems with any of the links, please contact Dr. Jan Ray at jray@mail.wtamu.edu or via phone at 806-651-2609.

Thanks!

The Coil Form

Dear Students,

Your professor, Darold Smith, will show you the basics of creating a coil form in class. You will then be required to create your own coil form that has some visible coils and is at least 10 inches tall.

At the J. H. Pottery web site you will find a Coil Construction tutorial. Read the text and view the pictures that show the author's way of creating a coil form.

Here are some links to Internet sites that display coil forms. Hope they inspire you!

Apply what you have learned from Darold Smith and from the Coil Construction tutorial to your own coil form. Enjoy!

The Pinch Form

Dear Students,

Your professor, Darold Smith, will show you the basics of creating a pinch form in class. You will then be required to create your own pinch form that is at least 8 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Sounds fun, eh?

Here are two links to web sites that provide information about the pinch form.

First, at the J. H. Pottery web site you will find a Pinch Pot Construction tutorial. Read the text and view the pictures that show the author's way of creating a pinch pot.

Second, at the Pottery the ART web site you will find another Pinch Pots tutorial. Read the text and view the pictures that show the author's way of creating a pinch pot.

Here are some links to Internet sites that display pinch forms. Hope they inspire you!

Apply what you have learned from Darold Smith and from the two pinch pots web sites to your own pinch pot. Enjoy!

The Slab Form

Dear Students,

Your professor, Darold Smith, will show you the basics of creating a slab form in class. You will then be required to create your own slab form that is at least 8 inches tall. What fun!

Here is a link to the J. H. Pottery web site. At this web site you will find a Slab Construction tutorial. Read the text and view the pictures that show the author's way of creating a hand-built slab piece.

Here are some links to Internet sites that display slab forms. Hope they inspire you!

Apply what you have learned from Darold Smith and from the Slab Construction tutorial to your own slab project. Enjoy!

Welcome

Dear Students,

Welcome to ceramics class and the WTAMU Ceramics edublog. This edublog is designed to support and supplement the concepts you learn in ceramics class. We hope that you enjoy using this edublog.

If you experience any problems using this edublog or find missing links, please feel free to contact either one of us. We will be happy to help you!

Darold Smith
Professor of Fine Arts

Dr. Harold Lenfestey
Assistant Professor of Art History

Dr. Jan Ray
Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology